As Labor parliamentarians fled Canberra for their winter break, the bruises from a difficult budget session were fading. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is confident his belated embrace of boldness has paid off, and he is now focusing on the next big party event: Labor's national conference in Adelaide from July 23–25.
Conference as a Showcase for Unity
Albanese told Tuesday's caucus that the conference would be “a real opportunity to bring the whole Labor movement with us on our direction.” He described it as a chance to “showcase ourselves as an inclusive, open, democratic party,” contrasting the “schmozzle” on the other side of politics. The ALP national secretariat has sent the draft platform and agenda to some 400 delegates for what will be the party's 50th national conference.
Evolution of the National Conference
Held every three years, modern Labor conferences are far removed from the “36 faceless men” conclaves of the past. They have become increasingly micromanaged, with controlled dissent to appease a rank-and-file more radical than the parliamentary caucus. Gone are the days when a conference could dictate to parliamentarians, as in 1963 over the North-West Cape communications facility, when leaders Arthur Calwell and Gough Whitlam waited outside for a decision. As Nick Dyrenfurth and Frank Bongiorno write in A Little History of the Australian Labor Party, “what had once been taken for granted as an expression of Labor democracy seemed now to belong to another age.”
AUKUS: A Managed Debate
At the 2023 conference, AUKUS was a major but carefully controlled debate. Three years on, critics remain outspoken. A current public inquiry into AUKUS features former Labor ministers Peter Garrett and Carmen Lawrence, with former foreign minister Gareth Evans submitting that “Australia’s no-holds-barred bipartisan embrace of AUKUS Pillar I is more likely than not to prove one of the worst defence and foreign policy decisions our country has made.” The government considers the issue settled and wants to avoid extensive re-airing. Any reference to AUKUS will be folded into the foreign affairs chapter debate, scheduled for Saturday, the final day and the least media-attractive time.
Sources indicate little pressure from unions or factions for a big AUKUS debate. Blue-collar unions focus on jobs AUKUS can provide. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy told the National Press Club on Thursday that there is “a vocal minority within the party” with questions, but noted that at recent elections for conference delegates, a candidate running against AUKUS “in the very progressive seat of Sydney … got something like 25% of the vote. So for anyone saying that there’s this huge discord, disconnect between the elected members of the Labor Party and the rank-and-file, they’re just not reflecting reality.”
Marcus Strom, convener of Labor Against War, a grassroots network of over 500 Labor members opposed to AUKUS, said: “the ALP leadership seems more concerned in assuring its partners-in-war at the Pentagon that they have us under control than in permitting democratic debate and inquiry on what all agree is the most consequential military partnership in Australia’s history.”
Middle East Tensions
Wrangling is also underway to manage Middle East issues. The recognition of a Palestinian state has placated some in the party, but only partially. The government plans to keep floor discussion low-key, possibly limiting it to a couple of speakers. Large demonstrations outside the conference are likely.
Balancing Act
Former prime minister Julia Gillard wrote in her memoir My Story: “when it is good, national conference is a place to hothouse ideas and agree new directions. When it is bad, it is a place for screaming matches between factional leaders on things no one in the community cares about. When it is at its worst, it is a lifeless beast of no debate, no ideas, with everything controversial swept under the carpet.” One prime minister's “lifeless beast” can be another's well-schooled support animal.
